By Rubin E. Grant Tucker Smith changed fishing buddies, but he didn’t change fortunes. With his former fishing partner Grayson Morris now on the bass fishing team at Montevallo, Smith teamed with fellow Briarwood Christian mate Hayden Marbut to win the 2020 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School National Championship presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. The tournament … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantThe Mountain Brook volleyball team took it as a slight.Even though the Spartans won the 2019 Class 7A state championship with a school-record 59 victories and moved down a classification this year, few gave them a chance of capturing the Class 6A crown.The low expectations weren’t a surprise, considering Mountain Brook won its 2019 title with a … [Read more...]

By Rubin Grant Hoover’s bid for an undefeated regular season and a region championship came up empty last Friday night in Alabaster. The No. 2 Bucs fell 39-23 to the No. 1 Thompson Warriors at Warrior Stadium. Thompson (10-0, 7-0) captured the Class 7A, Region 3 title for the second consecutive season with its fourth consecutive victory over Hoover. The Bucs (9-1, 6-1) lost … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Mountain Brook senior Blake Pugh paid a lot of attention to former teammate Logan Brewer during the 2019 football season. Brewer always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, making plays on both sides of the ball and on special teams. This season Pugh is doing similar things for the Spartans, playing cornerback and receiver and returning … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant At nearly 6 feet, 4 inches tall, Hoover senior Gabrielle Essix is an imposing presence on the volleyball court, especially playing middle hitter. But height alone doesn’t allow Essix to dominate. She has athleticism and skill. “For a girl her size, she’s a phenomenal athlete,” Hoover coach Chris Camper said. “She’s explosive and she jumps out of the gym, … [Read more...]